Visiting The Hildreds Shopping Centre to see its new Christmas displays is something of a tradition for those who can, and with good reason. Deputy Centre Manager Steve Andrews designs and hand carves all of the center’s holiday displays, coming up with new, more fantastic scenes each year.

This year the center picked a particularly magical theme: The Wizard of Oz. Using giant sheets of polystyrene and his own unique talents, Steve created a 26 foot-tall Emerald City Grotto in which Santa could hold court. The Wizard was there to tell the tale, and Dorothy and Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and Cowardly Lion looked on. Those who looked up (way up) could spot the Wicked Witch of the West and her flying monkeys, too.

So far the display has been a huge success. The center had a record-breaking 10,000 people turn out for the launch event, and a peak of 23,000 visits in just three hours. For comparison, the population of Skegness, the town The Hildreds serves, is around 22,000.

We have a few photos of the event below. For more, visit our Facebook page.